TLDR
Kim Kardashian, Hailey Bieber, Jessica Alba, Nicole Kidman, and a galaxy of A-listers converged on the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, where fashion, status, and future deals quietly stole focus from the trophies.
A Red Carpet Within a Red Carpet
For many in Hollywood, the real finale of Oscar night was not inside the Dolby Theatre. It was the velvet-rope world of the “Vanity Fair Oscar Party”, where a single photo can say more about a career than any acceptance speech. According to Vanity Fair, its annual celebration has evolved into a barometer of who truly matters in the industry, a place where studio chiefs, streaming bosses, stylists, and stars all study the room as closely as the cameras.
This year, the room told a very specific story. TMZ captured Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, and Hailey Bieber sweeping into the party, followed closely by Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kylie Jenner, Kate Hudson, Rita Ora, Lauren Sanchez, Nicole Kidman, Quinta Brunson, Queen Latifah, Teyana Taylor, Alix Earle, Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, Priyanka Chopra, Olivia Rodrigo, and Emily Ratajkowski. It played like a living timeline of modern fame, from early-2000s rom-com queens to TikTok and podcast-era influencers, all funneling through the same flashbulb gauntlet.
Kim, Hailey, and the Social Media Court
Kim Kardashian arrived in a gold form-fitting gown that photographed like liquid metal, a look that nodded to old Hollywood glamour but was built for the phone screen first. Hailey Bieber chose a strapless leopard-print gown, the kind of risk that keeps her near the top of every best-dressed roundup. According to TMZ, Kendall and Kylie Jenner joined them, creating a visual reunion of the family that turned “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” into a global brand and then spun it into beauty, shapewear, and lifestyle empires.
For this generation of stars, the “Vanity Fair Oscar Party” is less an after-party and more a live branding summit. Every red-carpet pose doubles as a campaign image for SKIMS, Rhode, or the next perfume launch. One veteran stylist once quipped that “the Vanity Fair Oscar Party is where you cement your narrative for the year”, and the 2026 guest list reflected that thinking. The women were not just dazzling in couture. They were quietly reinforcing who an entrepreneur is, who is an actor first, and who is building an empire that will outlast the box office.
Legends, Moguls, and New Power Players
The evening was not only about the women. TMZ noted a deep bench of leading men and behind-the-scenes power players, including Michael B. Jordan, Timothee Chalamet, and Barry Keoghan, as well as Chris Evans, Paul Mescal, Ethan Hawke, and Nick Jonas. Steven Spielberg mingled with rising directors, while Oscars host Conan O’Brien brought late-night ease to a room where almost everyone had something to pitch. Travis Scott, Kumail Nanjiani, and other cross-genre names highlighted how music, comedy, and film now share the same spotlight.
Then came the moguls. Jeff Bezos arrived with Lauren Sanchez, a reminder that tech money and streaming clout now sit shoulder to shoulder with legacy studios. Nicole Kidman, Queen Latifah, and Gwyneth Paltrow represented the generation that came up in the 1990s and 2000s, when the Oscars telecast was appointment viewing and magazine covers defined stardom. Today, according to Vanity Fair, the “Vanity Fair Oscar Party” functions as a kind of yearly summit meeting, where streaming deals are whispered over dessert and a single unexpected photo pairing can launch a thousand headlines.
For fans watching from home, the images from this year’s party feel like a glamorous scrapbook: a blend of nostalgia and next chapters. The faces that once lived on VHS boxes now share a carpet with creators whose fame was born on phones. Yet for one long night in Beverly Hills, everyone moved through the same doorway, reminding Hollywood that reinvention, reputation, and the right room can still change everything.
Which moment from this year’s Vanity Fair Oscar Party guest list or fashion lineup feels most memorable to you compared with the Oscar nights you remember best?
